Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M4, 2024) vs MacBook Air 13 (M4, 2025)

Which Laptop Is Better?

Products

Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M4, 2024)
Apple MacBook Air 13 (M4, 2025)

Tested using Methodology v0.9

Updated Dec 02, 2025 01:38 PM

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Amazon.com

Tested using Methodology v0.9

Updated Oct 31, 2025 08:00 PM

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Amazon.com
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Our Verdict

Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M4, 2024)

Apple MacBook Air 13 (M4, 2025)

While the Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M4, 2024) is a much better device than the Apple MacBook Air 13 (M4, 2025), they aren't intended for the same audience. The Air is an ultraportable designed for light to moderately intensive workloads, while the Pro is a much more powerful device aimed at professionals, like content creators. The Pro has a nicer Mini LED display, more ports, and longer battery life. If you want the niceties of the Pro model but don't need the extra processing power, know that the Pro is also available with the base M4 SoC.

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Variants

  • MacBook Pro 14 (MW2X3LL/A) (Silver - M4 (10-Core CPU, 10-Core GPU)/16GB/1TB)
  • MacBook Pro 14 (MW2W3LL/A) (Silver - M4 (10-Core CPU, 10-Core GPU)/16GB/512GB)
  • MacBook Pro 14 (MCX14LL/A) (Silver - M4 (10-Core CPU, 10-Core GPU)/24GB/1TB)
  • MacBook Pro 14 (MX2G3LL/A) (Silver - M4 Max (14-Core CPU, 32-Core GPU)/36GB/1TB)
  • MacBook Pro 14 (MX2E3LL/A) (Silver - M4 Pro (12-Core CPU, 16-Core GPU)/24GB/512GB)
  • MacBook Pro 14 (MX2F3LL/A) (Silver - M4 Pro (14-Core CPU, 20-Core GPU)/24GB/1TB)
  • MacBook Pro 14 (MW2V3LL/A) (Space Black - M4 (10-Core CPU, 10-Core GPU)/16GB/1TB)
  • MacBook Pro 14 (MW2U3LL/A) (Space Black - M4 (10-Core CPU, 10-Core GPU)/16GB/512GB)
  • MacBook Pro 14 (MCX04LL/A) (Space Black - M4 (10-Core CPU, 10-Core GPU)/24GB/1TB)
  • MacBook Pro 14 (MX2K3LL/A) (Space Black - M4 Max (14-Core CPU, 32-Core GPU)/36GB/1TB)
  • MacBook Pro 14 (MX2H3LL/A) (Space Black - M4 Pro (12-Core CPU, 16-Core GPU)/24GB/512GB)
  • MacBook Pro 14 (MX2J3LL/A) (Space Black - M4 Pro (14-Core CPU, 20-Core GPU)/24GB/1TB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (‎‎MW133LL/A) (Midnight - M4 (10-core CPU/10-core GPU)/16GB/512GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (MC6C4LL/A) (Midnight - M4 (10-core CPU/10-core GPU)/24GB/512GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (‎MW123LL/A) (Midnight - M4 (10-core CPU/8-core GPU)/16GB/256GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (‎‎MW0X3LL/A) (Silver - M4 (10-core CPU/10-core GPU)/16GB/512GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (MC654LL/A) (Silver - M4 (10-core CPU/10-core GPU)/24GB/512GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (‎MW0W3LL/A) (Silver - M4 (10-core CPU/8-core GPU)/16GB/256GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (‎MC6U4LL/A) (Sky Blue - M4 (10-core CPU/10-core GPU)/16GB/512GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (MC6V4LL/A) (Sky Blue - M4 (10-core CPU/10-core GPU)/24GB/512GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (‎MC6T4LL/A) (Sky Blue - M4 (10-core CPU/8-core GPU)/16GB/256GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (MW103LL/A) (Starlight - M4 (10-core CPU/10-core GPU)/16GB/512GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (MC6A4LL/A) (Starlight - M4 (10-core CPU/10-core GPU)/24GB/512GB)
  • MacBook Air 13 (‎MW0Y3LL/A) (Starlight - M4 (10-core CPU/8-core GPU)/16GB/256GB)

Main Differences for
General Productivity

Threshold 

0.10

General Productivity 

8.8
8.6

Battery Life (Web Browsing) 
 

15.7 hrs
12.3 hrs

Portability 
 

8.5
9.1

Full Comparison

Design

Style 
 

Style Photo  

Form Factor 
 

Traditional (Clamshell)
Traditional (Clamshell)
Show Text 

Build Quality 
 

9.5
9.5

Build Quality Photo  

Show Text 

Hinge 
 

9.1
9.1

Hinge Photo  

Range 
 

135°
135°

Stability 
 

Good
Good

One Finger Lift 
 

Yes
Yes
Show Text 

Portability 
 

8.5
9.1

Dimensions Photo  

Size 
 

14"
13.6"

Thickness 
 

0.7" (1.7 cm)
0.5" (1.3 cm)

Width 
 

12.3" (31.3 cm)
12.0" (30.4 cm)

Depth 
 

8.7" (22.1 cm)
8.5" (21.5 cm)

Volume 
 

71.5 in³ (1,172.2 cm³)
51.9 in³ (849.7 cm³)

Weight 
 

3.4 lbs (1.6 kg)
2.6 lbs (1.2 kg)

Charger Size 
 

7.3 in³ (120.4 cm³)
5.5 in³ (89.4 cm³)

Charger Weight 
 

0.5 lbs (0.2 kg)
0.4 lbs (0.2 kg)

Serviceability 
 

3.5
3.5

Internals Photo  

Ease Of Access 
 

6.0
6.0

RAM Slots 
 

0
0

Storage Slots 
 

0
0

Replaceable Battery 
 

Yes
Yes

Replaceable Wireless Adapter 
 

No
No
Show Text 

In The Box 
 

In The Box Photo  

Show Text 
Display

Screen Specs 
 

Display Photo  

Resolution 
 

3024 x 1964
2560 x 1664

Aspect Ratio 
 

16:10
16:10

Pixel Density 
 

254 PPI
224 PPI

Panel Type 
 

IPS
IPS

Touch Screen 
 

No
No

Screen-To-Body Ratio 
 

89%
86%
Show Text 

Refresh Rate 
 

8.7
5.9

Motion Blur  

Refresh Rate 
 

120 Hz
60 Hz

Variable Refresh Rate 
 

Apple ProMotion
No
Show Text 

Contrast 
 

10
7.6

Contrast Photo  

Native Contrast 
 

25,075 : 1
1,494 : 1
Show Text 

Brightness 
 

8.9
8.4

Maximum Brightness 
 

557 cd/m²
445 cd/m²

Minimum Brightness 
 

1 cd/m²
2 cd/m²
Show Text 

Reflections 
 

8.8
9.0

Reflections Photo Off  

Reflections Photo Max  

Screen Finish 
 

Glossy
Glossy

Total Reflections 
 

1.82%
1.57%

Indirect Reflections 
 

0.26%
0.24%

Calculated Direct Reflections 
 

1.6%
1.33%
Show Text 

Black Uniformity 
 

10
8.8

Black Uniformity Photo  

Uniformity (Std. Dev.) 
 

0.127%
0.680%
Show Text 

Out-Of-The-Box Color Accuracy 
 

10
9.8

White Balance Screencap  

Gamma Curve Screencap  

Color Screencap  

Avg. White Balance dE 
 

1.28
1.68

Avg. Gamma 
 

2.2
2.25

Avg. Color dE 
 

0.89
1.08

Avg. Color Temperature 
 

6,381.6 K
6,767 K
Show Text 

Color Gamut 
 

9.5
9.4

Gamut SDR  

sRGB xy 
 

99.99%
99.98%

sRGB uv 
 

99.98%
99.94%

Adobe RGB xy 
 

89.18%
87.95%

Adobe RGB uv 
 

94.44%
93.47%

Gamut HDR  

DCI-P3 xy 
 

99.7%
99.44%

DCI-P3 uv 
 

99.56%
99.45%

Rec. 2020 xy 
 

73.01%
71.86%

Rec. 2020 uv 
 

74.71%
73.27%
Show Text 

Flicker 
 

9.0
9.0

Flicker Graph  

Flicker-Free 
 

No
No

Flicker Frequency 
 

> 1000Hz
> 1000Hz

Flicker Active Below 
 

100%
100%
Show Text 
Interface

Keyboard 
 

8.0
8.0

Keyboard Photo  

Typing Quality 
 

8.0
8.0

Numpad 
 

No
No

Backlighting 
 

Adjustable
Adjustable

Key Switch Actuation Graph  

See details
See details

Operating Force 
 

64 gf
61 gf

Actuation Force 
 

40 gf
37 gf

Pre-Travel 
 

0.80 mm
0.77 mm

Total Travel 
 

0.85 mm
0.86 mm
Show Text 

Touchpad 
 

9.2
9.2

Touchpad Photo  

Tracking Quality 
 

9.5
9.5

Size 
 

16.1 in² (104.0 cm²)
15.8 in² (102.0 cm²)

Material 
 

Glass
Glass

Dedicated Buttons 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Speakers 
 

8.9
8.2

Frequency Response Plot  

See details
See details

Max Volume 
 

78 dB SPL
77 dB SPL

Standard Error @ Normal Vol. (65 dB) 
 

3.9 dB
5.9 dB

Slope @ Normal Vol. (65 dB) 
 

0.5
2.7

Bass Extension (Low-Frequency Ext.) 
 

137 Hz
141 Hz

Treble Extension (High-Frequency Ext.) 
 

20 kHz
20 kHz

Dynamic Range Compression @ Max Vol. 
 

1.5 dB
2.6 dB
Show Text 

Webcam & Microphone 
 

9.1
8.7

Webcam Video Sample  

Video Quality 
 

9.5
9.0

Resolution 
 

1080p
1080p

Position 
 

Top Center
Top Center

Privacy Cover 
 

No
No

Face Unlock 
 

No
No
Show Text 
Connectivity

Ports 
 

8.5
5.0

Ports Photo  

USB-A Ports 
 

0
0

USB-C Ports 
 

3
2

Thunderbolt 
 

Thunderbolt 5
Thunderbolt 4

USB-C Charging 
 

Yes
Yes

USB-C Display Out 
 

Yes
Yes

HDMI 
 

2.1
No

DisplayPort 
 

No
No

3.5mm Jack 
 

Combo mic/headphone
Combo mic/headphone

Card Reader 
 

SD UHS 2
No

Ethernet 
 

No
No

Proprietary Port 
 

Apple MagSafe 3
Apple MagSafe 3

Security Lock 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Wireless Communication 
 

Wi-Fi 
 

Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)
Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax)

Bluetooth 
 

5.3
5.3
Show Text 
Configuration

CPU 
 

Brand 
 

Apple
Apple

Model 
 

M4 Pro
M4

Core Count 
 

12
10

Thread Count 
 

12
10
Show Text 

GPU 
 

Brand 
 

Apple
Apple

Model 
 

M4 Pro
M4

Dedicated/Integrated 
 

Integrated
Integrated

VRAM Size 
 

N/A
N/A

GPU Total Graphics Power (TGP) 
 

N/A
N/A
Show Text 

RAM 
 

Capacity 
 

24 GB
16 GB

Modules 
 

Unknown
Unknown

Type 
 

LP-DDR5x
LP-DDR5x

Speed 
 

8,533 MHz
7,500 MHz
Show Text 

Storage 
 

Advertised Capacity 
 

512 GB
256 GB

Usable Capacity 
 

459 GB
211 GB

Drive 1 
 

Apple SSD AP0512Z
Apple SSD AP0256Z

Drive 1 Type  

SSD
SSD

Drive 2 
 

No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive

Drive 2 Type  

No 2nd Drive
No 2nd Drive
Show Text 
Performance

CPU/RAM Performance 
 

8.6
8.1

Cinebench 2024 - Single Core 
 

174 points
172 points

Cinebench 2024 - Multi Core 
 

1,481 points
725 points

Geekbench 6 - Single Core 
 

3,893
3,771

Geekbench 6 - Multi Core 
 

20,855
15,137

Blender - CPU (Avg) 
 

113 samples/min
72 samples/min

PassMark PT - CPU Mark 
 

33,677
23,551

PassMark PT - Memory Mark 
 

5,562
4,981

PassMark PT - Memory Mark (Android) 
 

N/A
N/A

Mozilla Kraken 
 

264 ms
276 ms

Low Tier Graphics 
 

8.0
7.6

Geekbench 6 - GPU Compute 
 

101,346
48,919

Basemark Web 3.0 
 

2,777
2,061

PassMark PT - 2D Mark 
 

N/A
N/A

PassMark PT - 2D Mark (Android) 
 

N/A
N/A

PassMark PT - 3D Mark 
 

N/A
N/A

PassMark PT - 3D Mark (Android) 
 

N/A
N/A

Novabench 5 - GPU 
 

332.0
157.0

mprep - Stress My GPU 
 

19,030
9,186

High Tier Graphics 
 

6.6
5.3

3DMark - Steel Nomad (DX12) 
 

N/A
N/A

3DMark - Steel Nomad (Vulkan/Metal) 
 

1,541
789

Basemark GPU (DX12) 
 

N/A
N/A

Basemark GPU (Vulkan/Metal) 
 

105,629
45,261

GFXBench - High Level Test (Vulkan/Metal) 
 

6,725 Frames
3,769 Frames

Professional 3D (GPU Accelerated) 
 

3.3
1.4

Blender - GPU (Avg) 
 

793 samples/min
360 samples/min

Cinebench 2024 - GPU 
 

7,671 points
3,323 points

CPU-Intensive Game Performance 
 

6.9
5.0

Civilization VII - AI 
 

14.1 s/turn
16.9 s/turn

Civilization VII - Graphics (Avg) 
 

199.3 fps
59.5 fps

Civilization VII - Graphics (1% Low) 
 

148.6 fps
55.5 fps

Total War: Warhammer III (Avg) 
 

25.7 fps
11.4 fps

Baldur's Gate 3 (Avg) 
 

87.2 fps
26.1 fps

Baldur's Gate 3 (1% Low) 
 

48.1 fps
15.7 fps

Previous Methodology Score 
 

4.7
4.0

Previous Methodology Score Converted 
 

4.1
3.5

GPU-Intensive Game Performance 
 

5.6
3.0

Cyberpunk 2077 (Avg) 
 

40.0 fps
11.1 fps

Cyberpunk 2077 (Min) 
 

20.0 fps
9.6 fps

Assassin's Creed Shadows (Avg) 
 

26 fps
N/A

Assassin's Creed Shadows (1% Low) 
 

21 fps
N/A

GTA V (Avg) 
 

N/A
N/A

GTA V (1% Low) 
 

N/A
N/A

Black Myth: Wukong (Avg) 
 

N/A
N/A

Black Myth: Wukong (5% Low) 
 

N/A
N/A

Resident Evil 4 (Avg) 
 

74.8 fps
N/A

Resident Evil 4 (1% Low) 
 

48.0 fps
N/A

Previous Methodology Score 
 

7.8
4.8

Previous Methodology Score Converted 
 

6.2
2.8
Show Text 

Ray Tracing Performance 
 

3.5
1.2

Cyberpunk 2077 (Avg) 
 

24.8 fps
9.6 fps

Cyberpunk 2077 (Min) 
 

20.0 fps
5.3 fps

Assassin's Creed Shadows (Avg) 
 

21 fps
N/A

Assassin's Creed Shadows (1% Low) 
 

17 fps
N/A

Black Myth: Wukong (Avg) 
 

N/A
N/A

Black Myth: Wukong (5% Low) 
 

N/A
N/A

Storage Drive Performance 
 

9.5
9.3

Sequential Write Speed 
 

5,937.8 MB/s
2,845.4 MB/s

Sequential Read Speed 
 

5,168.3 MB/s
2,863.3 MB/s

Random Write Speed 
 

55.1 MB/s
46.3 MB/s

Random Read Speed 
 

59.3 MB/s
68.1 MB/s
Show Text 

Battery 
 

9.5
9.0

Capacity 
 

72 Wh
54 Wh

Battery Life (Web Browsing) 
 

15.7 hrs
12.3 hrs

Battery Life (Video Playback) 
 

13.3 hrs
11.9 hrs

Battery Life (Gaming) 
 

1.6 hrs
3.2 hrs

Charge Time 
 

1.9 hrs
2.8 hrs
Show Text 

Thermals And Noise 
 

7.5
8.1

Keyboard Temps Picture  

Keyboard Temp While Idle 
 

28 °C (82 °F)
26 °C (79 °F)

Keyboard Temp Under Load 
 

43 °C (109 °F)
49 °C (121 °F)

Fan Noise While Idle 
 

25.0 dBA
N/A

Fan Noise Under Load 
 

47.5 dBA
N/A

Power & Fan Control App 
 

Yes
No
Show Text 

Performance Over Time 
 

9.9
7.3

Performance Over Time Graph  

See details
See details

CPU Temp (Cinebench) 
 

94 °C
91 °C

CPU Perf. Loss (Cinebench) 
 

1% loss
6% loss

GPU Temp (Heaven) 
 

94 °C
81 °C

GPU Perf. Loss (Heaven) 
 

0% loss
11% loss
Show Text 
Additional Features And Software

Software 
 

Operating System 
 

macOS
macOS

Additional Software 
 

None
None
Show Text 

Extra Features 
 

Biometrics 
 

Fingerprint Sensor
Fingerprint Sensor

RGB Illumination 
 

No
No

Touch Pen Support 
 

No Stylus Support
No Stylus Support

Secondary Display 
 

No
No
Show Text 

Apple MacBook Pro 14 (M4, 2024)

Apple MacBook Air 13 (M4, 2025)

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